Common Questions
I'm not a very good writer. Any tips?
Spell check your work! Also, plan your article and break it into smaller blocks and write those one at a time.
How long should an article be?
An article on Knows.com.au need only be so long that it covers your topic fairly well. A good article could be as short as 4-5 paragraphs, or as long as the equivalent of a number of pages. Some extensive articles could be broken up into smaller items if appropriate.
Articles that are too short will not be approved so you will need to make more than a token effort.
Important: Do not plagiarise text from elsewhere on the internet. You will be penalised by search engines automatically and seriously harm incoming traffic to your article.
What should I write about?
Write about something you're interested in, a hobby, something you own, a book you've read or movie you've watched, or research something elsewhere on the net to find something to write about.
What makes a good article?
Most importantly, your article should satisfy the expectations of the reader to the best of your ability. That should be your first priority. If you review something, ensure that your review is comprehensive enough that it gives the reader an ideas as to whether the product is right for them or would be a bad decision.
Once you've covered that, you'd obviously like to maximise what you could make from the advertising alongside your article. The best articles will be accompanied by relevant advertising that people will want to click. To see what ads might appear with your article, visit Google and search for a key phrase relevant to your topic - e.g., "mountain bike" or "pasta maker". If you were reading your article, would you be interested in clicking those ads?
How much money could I make?
Google's AdSense advertising program does not allow its publishers to discuss specific earnings. However, be assured that some people make a full-time living from their online earnings, others get a bit of bonus money on the side, and yet more may get just a few cents - do not give up as success is not automatic. Expect to retire tomorrow because you've written a single article and you will likely be disappointed. That said, once you've created an article, any income is largely passive and that's a real bonus.
Your target should be realistic. Make just a dollar per day, and over the span of a year (and with little on-going effort) you have a few hundred dollars heading into the festive season to buy presents. Add more articles and you could look to cover some of your utility bills and ease the pressure on your household.
Some people have their entire mortgage covered by passive income from online articles.
How does the advertising work?
Advertising revenue is split between the publisher (Knows.com.au) and the author. Your share will rise depending on the quality and quantity of your articles.
Put in the effort and you'll get rewarded.